Glider or swinging couch



Oct. 15, 1940. J. M VALLONE GLIDER OR swmeme co'uca Filed Jar 1. 25, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet l V VE/V 70/? 4 Tram/vim? Oct. 15, 1940. .1. M. VALLONE GLIDER 0R SWINGING COUCH 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 v Fild Jan 25, 1936 mvE/v 7'0 1?. W mfmum FAIRMIGDQMMWHSLWM A TTO/Q/VE/.

GLIDER 0R SWINGING COUCH Filed Jan. 25, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Oct. 15, 1940 J. M. VALLONE GLIDER OR SWINGING COUCH 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 25, 1936 Patented Oct. 15, 1940 UNITED STATES 2,217,779 GLIDER on swmonye ooUcri Joseph M. Vallone', Buffalo, N. Y., assignor to Barcalo Manufacturing Company, Buffalo,

Application January 25, 1936, Serial No. 60,876 Y 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvementsin gliders or swinging couches of that type which, as commonly constructed, comprise a stationary frame having opposite upright end standards or portions between which the couch seat is suspended to swing back and forth by links connected at their upper ends to and hanging from the top portions of the end uprights.

An object of my invention is to provide such gliders or swinging couches with ends or arm rests which, in addition to serving as rests for the arms of the occupants of the seats, also serve to enclose or cover and more or less hide from view the supporting uprights and the seat-suspending means.

In the swinging motions of the seat of the glider, the seat-suspending links swing back and forth relatively to the supporting uprights and to the ends of the swinging seat, and since, ordinarily, these parts are exposed and move in quite close proximity to each other, there is danger of the hands or other members, or the clothing of persons using or handling the glider being caught and injured between such relatively moving parts. I 7

Other objects of the invention are to provide a construction which will not only form a guard to effectually prevent possible injury to the persons or clothing of users of the device or others, but will, in addition, enhance the appearance of the"device and also provide arm rests or end supports for the occupants arms and hands; and also to provide a construction for such devices which has the other features of advantage and improvement hereinafter described and set forth in the claims The accompanying drawings illustrate several somewhat different constructions embodying my invention. In said drawings:

0 1 Fig'. l is a perspective view of a glider or swinging couch showing one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged end elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a transverse, sectional elevation thereof, man enlarged scale, through one of the arm rests or guards on line 33, Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, longitudinal, sectional elevation thereof on line 44, Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation on line 5-5, Fig. 3, of the connection between the lower end of the back and bottom frames of the seat.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation showing a slight modification of the foregoing construction.

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary, longitudinal, 'sectional elevation thereof, enlarged, online 1l, Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is' an end elevation similar to Fig. 6, showing another slight modification.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary, longitudinal, sectional elevation, enlarged, on line 5-9, Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a front elevation, on a reduced scale,

of a glider of somewhat different design embodying the invention.

Fig. 11 is an end elevation thereof, somewhat enlarged.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged, longitudinal, sectional elevation of one of the arm rests or guards on line l2l2, Fig. 11. r

Fig. 13 is an end elevation, partly in transverse section, of the arm rest or guard.

Referring first to the construction shown in Figs. 1-5, the stationary or supporting frame of the glider comprises opposite, vertical end portions or uprightsconnected, as usual, by one or more longitudinal frame members. Each end upright, as shown, comprises a forwardly and rearwardly extending base bar l5 fromwhich rises a central upright post 16 supporting a top bar l1, parallel with the base bar. The base and. top bars l5 and I! may be angle irons, and the post l6 shown, is a sheet metal member of channel-shaped cross sectionand is rigidly attached, as by riveting at its upper and lower ends to the base and top bars.

The swinging seat preferably comprises a rectangular bottom frame l8 and a rectangular back frame l9 rising from the rear end of the bottom frame, each frame being of any suitable construction. Fig. 1 shows the seat furnished with the usual bottom and back cushions or upholstering supported by the bottom and back frames. The back frame is shown as provided .at its lower edge adjacent its ends. with tongues 20 which removably engage in slots 20a, Fig. 5 in the bottom frame near its rear end portions, and the back frame is retained in the intended upright or rearwardly inclined position by means of the arm rests or ends of the seat which are attached to the bottom and backframes as hereinafter explained.

The seat'is'suspended to swing back and forth between the end uprights preferably by means of a pair of swinging links 2| at each end of the glider, operatively connected at their upper ends to the front and rear ends of the top bar ll of the adjacent end upright and at their lower ends to legs or brackets 22 and 23 fixed to and projecting downwardly from the adjacent end of the seat frame l8. As shown, the links 2| are provided at their upper ends with ball bearing units 24 by which they are journalled on fixed hooks 25 at of the leg brackets 22 and 23.

the ends of the top bar I1, and the legs 22 and 23 are provided with hooked lower ends which are pivotally seated in pivot holes in the lower ends of the links 2l- As thus far described, the glider is of known construction and may be of the construction illustrated or of other suitable construction.

26 represents a seat end-piece or arm rest at each end of the seat which, as" shown, is of inverted channel or trough shape in cross section, and is bent to provide an upper portion secured at its rear end to the back frame I9 and with a downwardly curved front portionsecured at its lower end to the front part of the bottom frame l8, so that the arm rest serves as a brace or'connection between the bottom and back frames of the seat. This arm rest is arranged in the vertical plane of the adjacent stationary-end upright I with its front portion in front of and its upper portion over the upright and the connected swinging links, and the arm rest extends forwardly and rearwardly a substantial distance beyond the front and rear ends of the top bar l1 of the upright in the normal position of the seat, so that the arm rest will not strike the upright or links and interfere with the swinging movement of the seat even in the maximum, intended swinging motion thereof. The arm rest will lie over and extend beyond the front and rear ends of the top of the end upright in the extreme forward and rearward positions of the swinging seat. 'In order that the arm rest will thus project forwardly and rearwardly beyond the top of the stationary end frame in all positions of the swinging seat, the top bar of the end upright is preferablymade shorter than the fore and aft width of the seat,.and the brackets 22 which are connected to the lower ends of the front suspending links 2| are fixed to the bottom frame |8 a substantial distance back from the front edge of said bottom frame. In other words, the seat bottom frame |8 projects well in front of the front supporting links 2|.

In this embodiment of the invention, inner and outer vertical side walls or plates 21 and 28 extend from the opposite edges of each channel arm rest 25, respectively at the inner and outer sides of the adjacent end upright and seat-suspending linlm 2|, so that the arm rest with said plates.21 and 28 covers and hides from view the upright and seat-suspending links. As shown, the outer cover plates 28 extend down to or somewhat below the lower ends of the links 2|, whereby the links are completely hidden from View at their outer sides, and the inner cover plates 21 project downwardly below the tops of the sea-t cushions or upholstering and hide the end uprights and links from view at their inner sides. The. cover plates, 21 and 28 may be attached to the arm rests, as by welding them at their edges to the edges of the arm rest channels.

The hollow arm rests or seat ends thus constructed are fixed to the swinging seat in the construction illustrated, as follows: Each inner. cover plate 21 has welded or otherwise, fixed thereto two vertical, flat bars 29 and 30 which extend below the lower edge of the plate and have notched lower ends which are seated in notches formed betweenthe adjacent end of the bottom frame l8 and projections 38a at the tops The cover plate 21 is secured in this position, as by bolts 3l connecting the bars 28 and 30 to the seat frame l8 and a bolt 32 connecting the rear portion of the plate to the back frame l9. Thus, the arm rest connects and serves as a brace between the bottom and back frames of the seat. The cover plates 21 and 28 are preferably connected and braced at their ends by a cross plate 33 welded or otherwise secured between the side plates.

The arm rests are fixed to and move with the seat in its swinging movements and are so proportioned and positioned relatively to the stationary end uprights that they do not interfere with the free swinging movements'of the seat and yet they enclose or cover the uprights and seat-suspending links so as to hide them from view from the top, front, outer or inner sides thereof. The hollow arm rests or end pieces thus formed and located, in addition to enclosing or hiding the end uprights and seat-suspending links, also serve as effective guards to prevent contact of any part of the persons or clothing of the occupants of the seat or others with the uprights or seat-suspending means in the use of the glider.

.Figs. 6 and 7 show the same construction as shown in Figs. 1-5, and above described, except that in this modification the outer side plates 28 are omitted. This provides a somewhat less expensive construction in which, while the arm rests or guards do not cover or hide the enduprights and seat-suspending links at their outer sides, they do hide them from view at their inner sides where they would be most conspicuous, and the arm rests form effective guards to prevent contact of the persons or clothing of the occupants of the seat with said uprights and seat-suspending links in the use of the device.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9, the inverted trough-shaped arm rests 26 are similar in form and location to the corresponding parts in the previously described constructions, but in this form of the invention, both the inner and outer side plates 21 and 28 of the previous forms are omitted, the trough-shaped arm rests 26 alone being used. Each arm rest in this modification is secured at its upper rear and lower front ends respectively to the seat back frame, and the bottom frame as, for instance, by a bolt 34 fastening the inner edge of the arm rest to the back frame, and by a bracket 35 welded or otherwise fixed to the inner side of the lower end of the arm rest and fastened, as by a bolt 36, to the front end. portion of the seat bottom frame l8.

As illustrated in Figs. 10-13, each arm rest or guard is different in design or form from the forms previously described, but is similar in function and purpose. Instead of being curved at its upper forward portion, as previously disclosed, it is of substantially rectangular shape and is formed by a sheet metal plate 31 bent to form the inner side wall corresponding to the wall 21 in the previous constructions, and the channelshaped top 38 of the arm rest. The inner side plate 31 may be secured to the bottom and back frames of the seat, as above described. The front end of the arm rest is closed by a front board or wall 39 secured to the front edges of the side and top plates 31 and 38, and the rear end is preferably closed by a rear board or wall 40, likewise secured to the side and top plates 31 and 38. The lower ends of the front and rear boards are connected by a bottom bar or strip 4|. These parts thus form a skeleton frame which is adapted to be covered by upholstering or covering material like that used for the back and seat cushions of the couch. The covering material indicated at 42 extends over and covers the inner side and top plates 31 and 38 of the arm rest and extends down at the outer side of the arm rest, and is fastened at its lower edge under the bottom bar 4i, and the front wall of the arm rest may be likewise covered with similar covering material. Suitable padding or upholstering material, not shown, maybe employed under or inside of the covering material, if desired. In this construction, as in the others, the arm rests or seat end-pieces, enclose or cover the stationary end uprights and seat-suspending means, effectually hiding them from view and forming guards to prevent contact of any part of the persons or clothing of the occupants of the couch or others with the frame or seat-supporting means.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination of a supporting frame having opposite end uprights, a seat arranged to swing between said uprights and having a bottom frame located below the tops of the uprights, swinging suspension links for the seat arranged between each end of the seat bottom frame and the adjacent upright and connected at their lower ends to said bottom frame and at their upper ends to the upright above said bottom frame, and an arm rest at each end of the seat comprising a bar of substantially inverted U-shaped cross section attached to the front portion of the seat and extending upwardly in front of the adjacent upright and links and then extending rearwardly over the upright and attached to the back of the seat, the front portion of said arm rest being spaced forwardly from the upright sufi'iciently not to strike the upright or links in substantial swinging movements of the seat.

2. The combination of a supporting frame having opposite end uprights, a seat arranged to swing between said uprights and having a bottom frame located below the tops of the uprights, swinging suspension links for the seat arranged between each end of the seat bottom frame and the adjacent upright and connected at their lower ends to said bottom frame and at their upper ends to the upright above said bottom frame, and an arm rest at each end of the seat comprising a bar of substantially inverted U-shape cross section extending upwardly in front of the adjacent upright and links and then extending rearwardly over the upright, the front portion of said arm rest being spaced forwardly from the upright sufficiently not to strike the upright or links in substantial swinging movements of the seat, and a cover wall connected to and extending from said arm rest bar at the inner side of the upright, and means by which the arm rest and cover wall are connected to the end of the seat bottom and back.

' 3. The combination of a supporting frame having opposite end uprights,a seat arranged to swing between said uprights and having a bottom frame located below the tops of the uprights, swinging suspension links for the seat arranged between each end of the seat bottom frame and the adjacent upright and connectedat their lower ends to said bottom frame and at their upper ends to the upright above said bottom frame, and an arm rest at each end of the seat comprising a bar of substantially inverted U-shape cross section extending upwardly in front of the adjacent upright and links and then extending rearwardly over the upright, the front portion of said arm rest being spaced forwardly from the upright sufficiently not to strike the upright or links in substantial swinging movements of the seat, and cover walls connected to and extending from said arm rest bar at the inner and outer sides of the upright, and means by which the arm rest and inner cover wall are connected to the .end 

